Surely, Chris Christie's days are numbered, if he is getting press like this

Gov. Chris Christie likes to live large on other people’s dime, The New York Times reports. Christie let King Abdullah of Jordan pay for a family trip to the country, which included a stay at a hotel that cost around $30,000. In 2012, Christie flew to Israel on a luxurious private jet loaned to him by mogul Sheldon Adelson, who was also opposing legislation to legalize online gambling in New Jersey at the time. Christie later signed that bill into law. “I relish these experiences and exposures, especially for my kids,” Christie said last year. “I try to squeeze all the juice out of the orange that I can.”

GOP Candidate Carly Fiorina Born Cara Carleton Sneed Unmasked as Top Spook, Pathological Liar and Protegée of NSA and CIA Boss Michael Hayden; Carly Holds Top Secret Security Clearance; Downsizing and Runaway Shop Queen Attended Posh London Private School; Father Was Elitist Dean of Duke University Law School and Federal Appellate Judge; Claim She Started as Secretary Is a Tissue of Lies; Her Candidacy Raises Issue of Intelligence Community Asset in the White House

Apparently that wasn't going to cut it. "Donors have totally dried up for Walker," a campaign insider told the New York Times, because "the candidate and the campaign just couldn't inspire confidence."

The most interesting question amid the wreckage of Walker's campaign may now be this: Where will his wealthy backers go with their money? In July, the super-PAC supporting Walker, Unintimidated PAC, reported having locked up more than $20 million, placing him in the top echelon of GOP candidates in terms of financial backing. The bulk of the money, $13.4 million, came from just four people, including Wisconsin-based roofing supply magnate Diane Hendricks, a longtime supporter who gave $5 million.

Most of Walker's war chest came from outside traditional sources, in part because he never achieved much traction in strongholds for GOP campaign money such as Texas. Instead, his campaign and super-PAC seemed to rely on big donors whom Walker had cultivated for his state political runs and who were based in the Midwest...

Here are some of Walker's most memorable missteps that would eventually help derail his campaign:

1. Union protesters = ISIS?

After a well-received speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a response to a question about international preparedness and terrorism instead made all the wrong kind of headlines. "If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world," Walker answered. While Walker's successful take-on of public sector unions may have been his most successful selling point, the tone deaf comparison played badly and overshadowed an otherwise good appearance. His campaign moved quickly to clean it up, but the damage had been done.

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2. The curse of the Europe trip

3. Falling into the 'Is Obama a Christian?' trap

4. Immigration evolution

5. Ethanol flip-flop

6. Reagan and air traffic controllers

7. 'Handful of reasonable' Muslims

8. Great Wall of Canada

9. Rapidly changing positions on birthright citizenship

One of the most confusing and potentially damaging moments in the final stages of his campaign may have been an ongoing back-and-forth with himself on exactly what he believed on birthright citizenship. After Trump proposed repealing the practice, Walker first appeared to agree with the idea. "Yeah, absolutely, going forward," he said at the Iowa State Fair.

Days later, he then said he wasn't going to weigh in. "I'm not taking a position on it one way or the other," he told CNBC.

Then, finally, a week later, Walker did a complete 180, saying he wouldn't change any part of the 14th Amendment that guarantees birthright citizenship.

"Well, I said the law is there. And we need to enforce the laws, including those that are in the Constitution," he told ABC.

The waffling and shifting answers only reinforced the idea that Walker would move with the political winds and was ill-prepared on tough questions.

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb plans to announce on Tuesday that he will drop out of the Democratic presidential race in favor of a potential independent presidential run, a source familiar with his thinking confirmed to MSNBC

Remember Carly Fiorina? It now seems forever ago, but in late September she was being heralded as the next big thing in the Republican primary field—the outsider candidate who could marshall establishment support, and finally slay the Trump dragon.

Gov. Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee chatted during a commercial break at the first Republican presidential debate in August.Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times

When the Republican presidential hopefuls take the stage in Milwaukee on Tuesday night for their fourth debate, familiar faces will be missing from the prime-time lineup — Mike Huckabee and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

On Thursday, Fox Business Network, the host of the debate, announced on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” the qualifiers for the main stage, and Mr. Christie and Mr. Huckabee — who had been slipping in recent polls — did not quite make the cut.

Then lineup for the main stage debate will be Donald J. Trump, Ben Carson, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

To qualify for the prime-time debate based on the network’s criteria, candidates needed to score at least 2.5 percent or higher in an average of the four most recent national polls through Nov. 4. Those below the 2.5 percent average in the polls could qualify for the so-called undercard debate, as long as they hit at least 1 percent in at least one of the four most recent national polls.

Dropping off the main stage is a huge blow to Mr. Christie, who has struggled to gain the traction for which he’d hoped ever since announcing his bid, and who saw his “tell it like it is” message inadvertently usurped by Mr. Trump’s freewheeling, tell-it-like-it-is campaign.

Mr. Christie seemed prepared for the news, tweeting within seconds of the announcement that “it doesn’t matter the stage, give me a podium and I’ll be there to talk about real issues like this,” with a link to his now-viral video speaking about drug addiction.

An hour or so later, Mr. Huckabee shared a similar sentiment.

“I’m happy to debate anyone, anywhere, anytime,” he said in a statement, adding, “Washington is stealing from seniors, punching American workers in the gut, and bankrupting our kids and grandkids. I refuse to let that stand.”

. . .

The candidates who have been relegated to the “junior varsity” debate have struggled to capture voter and media attention. That lineup will include Mr. Christie, Mr. Huckabee, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Rick Santorum.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has had some strong performances in the earlier debates, was unable to gain much traction nationally, so much so that he and George E. Pataki will be left off of the undercard debate stage all together. They both failed to meet the 1 percent minimum requirements set by Fox Business News.

Watching Hilary Clinton debate Bernie Sanders—or like yesterday evening, Jeb Bush against Donald Trump—doesn’t strike me as too different from when Hulk Hogan faced off against Andre the Giant in Wrestlemania.

Republican candidate Ben Carson is seeking to take control of his struggling presidential bid amid an increasingly public clash between his top advisers, saying Wednesday that blame for his drop in the polls lies with his campaign and that he plans to ...

Barring a miracle, the Iowa caucuses will likely mark the end of Rick Santorum's long quest for the presidency.

On the eve of the caucuses, without conceding defeat, Santorum gave a proper goodbye to a state that has served as a second home to him, and at times, his entire family. On Sunday night, his campaign assembled devoted volunteers, friends, family and supporters for one final Iowa hurrah for the man who pulled off a jaw-dropping surprise victory in the state four years ago, but hasn't been able to catch a break in the Era of Trump.

In the state’s Democratic contest, the tight race revived memories of Clinton’s disappointing showing eight years ago when Obama won the caucuses and, ultimately, the Democratic nomination and presidency.

Clinton has campaigned as a progressive who could get things done in a Washington split by an intense partisan divide. But her familiar name and long resume aren’t necessarily advantages in an election year dominated by anti-establishment candidates. Clinton has also been on the defensive over her use of a personal email account for official business as secretary of state, raising questions about whether she mishandled government secrets and her overall trustworthiness.

The caucuses marked the end of at least two candidates’ White House hopes. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley ended his longshot bid for the Democratic nomination and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican race.

Iowa is a contest of organization as well as popularity. With votes being cast in about 2,000 meetings across the state, candidates not only had to win over voters, but make sure their supporters turned up — a much more difficult task than generating turnout for all-day primary voting.

“We knocked on 125,000 doors this past weekend,” Clinton told NBC’s “Today” show. “Although it’s a tight race, a lot of the people who are committed to caucusing for me will be there and standing up for me and I will do the same for them in the campaign and in the presidency.”

Sanders told volunteers and supporters: “We will struggle tonight if the voter turnout is low. That’s a fact.'”

A victory by Sanders in Iowa would give him momentum headed into the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary. Sanders is expected to do well in New Hampshire, which is next to his home state of Vermont. But his long-term prospects remain questionable. Clinton has a lead in national polls and is well-placed to win other states over the next month, especially those which unlike Iowa have large numbers of black and Latino voters.

(CNN) Ben Carson doesn't "see a political path forward" in the Republican presidential nomination process, and will not attend Thursday's GOP presidential debate in his hometown of Detroit, he said in a statement.

Once Michelle Obama leaves the White House next year, she won't be looking back. After delivering a keynote speech promoting education for girls around the world at South by Southwest on Wednesday, the First Lady said in a panel moderated by Queen ...

For most of 2014 and the first nine-ish months of 2015, I thought Marco Rubio was the most likely Republican presidential nominee in 2016.

The case for the Florida senator was simple: He was young (44), Cuban American and charismatic as hell. He could straddle the chasm between tea party Republicans (he was elected in a tea party wave in 2010) and establishment types, who saw him as the next big thing in their party. He had surrounded himself with a talented and deep political team not only at the national level but also in some early states -- particularly South Carolina.

For a party desperate to change its image as the home of old, white men, Rubio seemed a godsend.

. . .

The first is that he -- and everyone in the field not named "Trump" -- was operating under an old model of how you run for and win a Republican presidential nomination. Waiting (and waiting) to be the eventual establishment pick presumes that the establishment has some power to choose the nominee. There's lots and lots of evidence that, at least in this election, it does not.